Unofficial Portkey Archive

How to break an eternal writer's block

Step 1 - Take a weeklong vacation

Step 2 - Refuse to read work emails

Step 3 - load up on nuts, corn pops, more nuts, chips and stuff I would rather not admit to consuming.

Wow - time flies. Have probably alienated most readers by now but I did say I was going to finish this story so here's me still trying.

Thought this was going to be the last chapter - wrong. Hugo got a bit long winded. What can I say - I have no control over him as I don't have control over his father.

Pants have been on fire so many times but the last chapter should be ready in 1-2 days.

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Chapter 72 - Time Warp

Harry regarded the Hag's unreadable expression through the haze of the barrier as the inter-realm portal hummed with urgency.

Succumb to the present and forget the truth. Refuse this portal and Death will come.

He never cared much about Hagspeak meaning until now. It was clear that she wanted him to stay but to what end? Why was meeting Death about Hermione really important or did she just want him to stay so he wouldn't influence Hugo's destiny? What was in it for her?

Logically it was a no brainer; whatever truth it was that he was supposed to find out it was in the past and if it was indeed important it would reveal itself in the future. There was no changing what happened. Living in the present made sense.

However, there was nothing logical about being in this realm, dreamlike and real at the same time, and him having concrete and philosophical discussions with dead people. True or imagined, this Hag version implied that Hermione could survive the Asphyxiatus and that having a conversation with Death mattered. The Hag was selling hope if he could take a leap of faith.

Harry thought of Hugo. He was at the Ministry, far away from the bottom of the volcano Harry left Malvado in. He had time.

Or did he? The passage of time was different here. There was no telling how long he had been gone from the real world. There was no telling how much longer he would be gone from there every minute he chose to stay here. In his mind it was a choice between saving Hermione's life or Hugo's life first.

It was so much easier moments ago when it seemed like he was trapped in this realm and didn't have much of a choice. He should have known that wouldn't last. For most of their lives, decisions involving Hermione were never ever simple.

He thought about her, imagining her looking at him in her usual way. I trust you to know what's best for us, he could feel her say. Thinking about her made it clear.

Hugo meant the world to Hermione. If she survived, it would kill her if they lost Hugo. She wouldn't be the same. And yes, maybe the Hag was right. Maybe he was too injured. Maybe going back now or going back later would not matter. But Harry had to do everything he could to prevent Hermione from losing another child. Staying for her, for them, would be meaningless without their son. He had to see Hugo safe first.

He stayed within the cone of light, the veil separating him from the Hag not thick enough to mask the disappointment on the Hag's face.

"I can't believe this. You're choosing your disrespectful brat over her? You're as bad as Waterloo when it comes to choosing between you and those you care about."

"I'll find a way back or a way to talk with Death," he said, more for his sake.

"You can certainly try," the Hag replied with gravity that he had never seen her wear before, "But by then the truth will not matter. She will no longer exist in your reality. It will be too late."

Harry steeled himself, standing firm on his decision, for Hermione. He wished the Hag would stop. He wished the portal would take him away sooner.

"I have to help Hugo."

The Hag seemed truthful, "Your strength has always been your inability to just watch as things unfold. It is also your weakness."

The cone of light surrounding him narrowed and then disappeared, his connection to real life closing shut with a resounding snap. The portal was gone. There was no longer a veil separating him from the Hag, who, judging from the frown on her face was as confused as he was.

The portal didn't take him. Why?

The Hag's image began fading away, extremely pleased, "Well Heartbreak, it looks like you're meeting Death after all."

She gestured over to the clearing where a shadowy figure loomed ominously. Death, black, flowing, hooded robe, scythe and all. The Hag had something else to say.

"Listen carefully, we don't have much time. When Death gets here It will be unpleasant as it usually tends to be, but don't let It intimidate you. I don't know why It wants to talk with you but don't forget the reason you have to meet It."

Harry was decided about Hugo and upset that Death had delayed his return, "But I have somewhere else I have to be."

The Hag merely laughed, "That may be true but you are going nowhere until Death is done with you. Fate has clearly spoken on the matter. You're sitting this one out. Malvado is Heartbreak Jr.'s fight. So don't be stupid; take advantage of this opportunity. Ask about the very first deal It struck with Its mistress. It will tell you; that'll be the easy part. Convincing It to let you return to reality after will be tougher."

Harry was already thinking about the impending conversation with Death, about insisting It to allow him to return to help Hugo. But he also had to know.

"Why does it matter to you so much that I stay? You're dead."

She replied, "I have very few failures in my previous life. One of them is this. Waterloo should have been better prepared as Death's Mistress. Had I been a better teacher none of this would have happened. I let her fuck destiny to follow her heart's deepest desire and she got fucked back. She failed because I failed her."

"I still don't get it."

"Atonement for me and justice for her. She deserves a better ending than death by Asphyxiatus. I refuse to accept this destiny for her and, frankly, you should refuse it too."

Just before the Hag completely disappeared, she had one last parting advice, "Remember what I said about your presence here being as pointless as the near fatal sacrifice you made that first time. Bargaining chips. Negotiate. Best of luck, Heartbreak! If you're lucky, you just might fix all this!"

The Hag made one final sweeping motion with her arms and then she was gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

The heavy weight upon her lifted. Even then Hermione could barely keep her eyes open. She saw a silver terrier with its jaws firmly latched upon one Dementor's throat. The latter retreated, trying to shake the Jack Russell off. It was Ron's. Boris' tiger and Seamus' fox followed Ron's Patronus and chased all of the Dementors away.

She tried to stand but couldn't. Ron came up beside her and then mostly carried her to a spot behind a huge tree for cover. A fight had broken out and there was absolute bedlam.

"Take this!" he yelled over exchanges of gun and wand fire, feeding unwrapped pieces of chocolate into her mouth before she could ask what it was.

She ate as fast as she could, her strength slowly but steadily coming back to her.

"Thank you," she managed to whisper in between mouthfuls.

Ron kept the pieces coming while he fended off would be attackers, until she felt like throwing up and couldn't eat anymore.

She would have asked why Ron had a considerable supply of chocolates on him but was conserving her energy for much more important things. Harry was with Malvado. She had to go and help him.

And Warren. She didn't know if Warren was still alive or if she could help him get his body back. Or if Harry would even let her try. If it ever came down to making a decision about Warren it was going to be a tough one. How she wished she had been able to talk him out of this harebrained idea of accepting the stone from his father.

She made a move to get up but Ron held her back and growled an order, "Sit! You're in no condition to fight!"

Hermione never liked "Protective Ron" but figured that if he could easily physically restrain her she wasn't going to be up to helping anyone. She obeyed, at least for now.

Taking the opportunity, she surveyed the scene. She recognized a few other IMPs and some Aurors from Harry's team. They were outnumbered by Malvado's remaining loyal followers but made up for it with skill and firepower. Over the next few minutes the counters became fewer and farther in between. Their position more secure, she made another effort to get up. This time Ron let her and helped her on her feet.

"You need to go to the St. Mungo's immediately," Ron urged her, "Padma's got a team of experts working on an antidote."

"Do they have the antidote?"

"Not yet but..."

Even if they did she figured she'd have time.

She argued, "Harry, he needs help."

"He wants you back in London."

Why Ron thought that would convince her to go was beyond her. She didn't argue. It required too much effort to say the words.

"Have you heard from him at all?"

Ron shared worriedly, "Not since he left to meet Malvado."

That was a while ago.

"And Hugo?"

"He's at the Ministry!"

"Are you certain?"

"Of course, I am," Ron replied in the familiar defensive tone.

Mother's intuition told her otherwise. She had to go up to the summit.

By then Ron had figured she wasn't going to take his suggestion to leave and muttered something about how he should have Portkeyed her back to London when she was out.

Someone yelled out a warning, "Here they come again!"

A second wave of Malvado followers descended upon them. They attacked both by air and by ground, forcing Ron and Hermione to seek refuge behind a half destroyed hut. Hermione noticed a large group of magical beings converge towards their foes, starting a gruesome and barbaric clash. A surge of adrenaline came over her.

She tapped Ron on the shoulder and spoke out loudly over the cacophony of curses and bullets, "Give me a wand!"

Ron hesitated but quickly relented when it was evident she needed at least something to protect herself with. He came prepared with a couple of spares and offered them up to her. Taking them both, she disposed of two of the three wizards ganging up on Maria and disarmed a couple of magicals who were giving Boris and Gummy a difficult time.

Enemies kept sprouting and popping up to replace the fallen. They were coming from around them and from above. At this rate she would never get to Harry and Warren in time to help them, or keep them from killing each other, if Warren was still alive.

"Cover me!" she told Ron.

Hermione surged out into the open amid heavy fire before Ron could talk her out of it. Left without a choice, he did as she asked. He gave her the time she needed to track her moving target.

Aiming carefully, she conjured a restraining spell and fired, clipping an airborne wizard with it. The rider spiraled out of control and crashed into another wizard, knocking both off their brooms. They fell straight into a swelling of local beings eager to tear them apart.

She summoned one of the brooms, straddled it and would have taken off if not for the several pairs of eyes that were now upon her. She found herself in the midst of an unfriendly looking crowd.

Hermione pointed her wand at the half giant who was approaching her.

"Wait! They're with us!" a familiar voice exclaimed before she could fire.

Al appeared from behind who she just now figured wasn't a Malvado henchman, still looking a lot like Hugo. Al in Malvado's camp?

Confused, Hermione asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Gates," was Al's one word reply.

Hermione quickly picked up on the Hugo loyalist vibe around them. The thought that Warren had risked Al's life to pose as Hugo so that he could bring together this anti-Malvado team of misfits infuriated her but thankfully Al was okay.

Al said to her, pointing at the peak, "Malvado is up there. We have to go, now!"

He said it with unmistakable urgency. One look into his mind gave her all the answers she needed. Hugo was up there too and Al wanted to go with her. He had to. These Hugo loyalists would quickly realize he wasn't the real deal if he stayed behind and they would instantly lose their support.

Ron was approaching them, his face as red as his hair. If Ron developed even an inkling that this Hugo was not Hugo but Al things could get ugly really fast. Her ex-husband never lost the tendency to speak first and ask questions later.

She motioned Al over and made room for him on the back of the broom, then kicked off from the ground to head straight and fast towards Mount Ingkanto's peak. Ron had found another broom and was swearing floridly, not very far behind.

XXXXXXXXXX

Fix all this?

Harry barely processed the Hag's cryptic message when he found himself face to face with the looming presence of the scythe-bearing dark cloaked being.

"Greetings Death," he hailed the new arrival, going for business-like to mask his annoyance at being powerless and trapped in this realm.

"I have no time for human niceties," It said brusquely.

"Neither do I, actually," Harry replied matter-of-factly, "I'm supposed to be on my way back to reality. You have detained me. I believe you owe me a portal."

Harry took charge of the conversation. He was done being a pawn. The awkward pause in their talk could mean one of two things: It was pissed at his audacity to question his stay and was about to keep him permanently in the realm or, It was unprepared for the conversation they were about to have and was anxious of the outcome. Death's continued silence pointed to the latter. No sense giving It a moment to conjure a sound strategy.

"Time is precious, Death, yours and mine. I demand a portal now!" he raised his voice and threw in finger pointing for good measure.

"The delay is my doing but not my intent," It revealed, "My Master has asked me to bring you to him and since you are quite incapacitated in your shared reality the only way I could do so was if you remained in this realm."

The unexpected revelation sent Harry's intended plan on a tail spin. Harry didn't even notice that he had held his breath for a second. Death had a master? Since when and, more importantly, who? Did he lose the Elder wand to Malvado and if he did, how did the Dark Wizard gain possession of the Snitch encased Resurrection Stone and Invisibility Cloak to unite the Peverell Hallows again? Maybe Warren had managed to wrestle control of his body.

All the possible scenarios Harry could think of involved Hugo and not one provided him comfort. He couldn't go back on a portal thinking there was information here that could help Hugo or, worse, that Hugo was actually here. Regardless of who Death's Master was Harry decided that a meeting was in order. But Harry needed to know who so he could be prepared for the approach.

Harry pushed back, "I am no slave and I have no Master. The way I see it it's your problem, not mine."

"You are correct. I suppose you may refuse to see him," It conceded, "He did say you were not in the best of terms but he is desperate and does require your assistance in a matter of grave importance."

It was difficult to imagine Malvado desperately needing help. It was time to cut to the chase.

"Who is your Master?"

"Your youngest son. You call him `Hugo' in your world," Death revealed. "Are you not interested in helping your own flesh and blood?"

A huge pit just swallowed him up from the inside. It was one thing thinking it possible, it was another thing knowing it to be true. He waited for rational thinking to catch up with his emotional one.

"How did he unite the Hallows?"

"Malvado used his mother to lure him to Mount Ingkanto. It was a good thing he came when he did. You lost consciousness and fell off your broom. He flew you to safety and saved you from certain death. He had the Cloak and the Stone from the Ministry and gained possession of the Elder wand during the fight."

"But the Stone was inside a Snitch."

"He figured out that your 2^nd son could open it. He's smart and very resourceful. It's hard to believe a thirteen year old kid can do all that but that is the truth."

It was true. It was hard to believe Hugo had become the Master of Death. And it was unsettling information that the Snitch was Al's.

Harry was bursting from relief that Hugo was still alive, filled with pride knowing how he got to where he was and sick with worry of the danger he was in, all at once. He had no idea what dire predicament Hugo was in to ask for him but he was brimming with anxiety to help his son any way he could. He did note not to make it a habit to almost die in front of Hugo. That seemed to be happening a lot.

While certain that Death was telling the truth because It's nature couldn't do otherwise, to go with It would be to grant It a favour. It was a bargaining chip. Harry needed something in return.

"No offense but I don't know you. You could be lying," Harry accused, "I'm supposed to be back in my reality helping the real Hugo. You're keeping me from that. For all I know, Malvado is now your master and you could be leading me straight into a trap. What guarantee do I have that you're telling me the truth?"

Harry was all in. Death stewed on his last words and Harry could not take them back.

"I will make it worth your while," It said finally, "Once your conversation with my Master culminates I will send you back through the portal to the exact same time point in reality you were to come back to had I not interrupted the process."

The offer was an interesting possibility which only made Harry wonder if everything that Rasputin told him about portals were true. He had to do some negotiating.

He countered, "That goes without saying. I wasn't born yesterday. You can do better than that."

Death turned towards where It came from, as if in response to someone calling on It, a master beckoning perhaps.

"Teenagers aren't a very patient lot," Harry said to It, understanding now that Death was tasked to take him to Hugo and had no choice but to negotiate.

"Very well. What will make it worth your while?"

It bit the bait. Now, he had to reel Death in. He was about to see Hugo, the immortal Master of Death. It was a no-brainer.

He thought about Hermione, about what the Hag said about refusing to accept her fate, about negotiating with Death for her life. Harry supposed he could make nice with Death and hope to get information about Hermione that way. But he sensed that while Death was built to be truthful It did not have a `nice' gene.

A confrontational approach could backfire. It could all blow up in his face but he was short on time and this was his window.

"Okay, take me to your Master. But on our way there tell me all about the very first deal you struck with the former Mistress of Death. It involves me and I'm curious as hell what it is and why I can't know."

Death stiffened even more unnaturally than Harry thought possible, the Hag predicting precisely Its response, "I can certainly do that, Mr. Potter, but once I do I'm afraid I cannot allow you to return to your reality."

Harry expressed feigned disappointment and sighed, "And I was trying to be nice. Hope your Master can wait, Death. We're going to be here a while."

XXXXXXXXX

Hugo took in Death's advice then sent It on an errand. He had hoped it would be more straightforward but it turned out that he had to outwit, outduel and outlast Malvado. He needed advice from the best dueler he knew, his father.

At least that's was what he told Death. Who was he kidding? A five minute coaching session with his father wasn't going to help. Malvado was a powerful wizard, a killer without a conscience. There was no amount of advice that could ever prepare him for the fight he was about to have.

If Hugo were to be completely honest there was a different reason why he asked Death to bring his father to him. He sent Death away hoping for some alone time, to build up the nerve to say what he was going to say.

He saw them approach over the horizon, escalating his anxiety. Closer now, his father was looking into his eyes both with worry and anticipation. It only intensified Hugo's desire to bail. Hugo had to look past them.

His father stopped a couple of feet from him. Hugo must have imagined it but it seemed that his father was restraining himself from grabbing and hugging him.

Arms settling awkwardly on his hips, his father greeted, "Hi. I guess it is true. You are Its Master."

"It was pure dumb luck," Hugo shrugged, "Seems to run in the family."

Hugo didn't see but felt a smile.

"So, how can I help you?"

Hugo let out a big breath. Where to start? He glanced over at Death.

"Can you give us a minute?"

"As you wish, Master," It obliged.

Death left them and an awkward silence followed. Now that they were alone Hugo couldn't even pretend to look at his face so he looked at their feet, not noticing that his hands were now on his hips as well, mirroring his father.

"I don't know how to say this," Hugo finally admitted, hoping that would at least break the ice.

His father helped him out, "You're at the summit. Malvado is there with you. You want to know what to do."

"Yes," Hugo replied, and for a split second considered to leave it at that.

Then Hugo summoned the courage to say what he had to say to make things right between them. He looked up and looked him in the eye.

"But that's really not the reason why I asked to see you."

His father frowned, and became even more concerned. Or maybe he was hurt from rejection. There was a time when Hugo wanted his father to feel that way but not right now.

"I mean, I'd love to hear what you would do," Hugo tried to reassure him, "But unless you have some magical way to teach me all you know about defeating dark wizards in a very short period of time, I'm not sure you can help me much."

"Why am I here with you, Hugo?"

It was too difficult to talk to him face to face.

"Can we sit?"

He looked behind him and found a bench. He could swear it wasn't there before.

"Okay."

They sat beside each other, his father's constant gaze was upon him as he crouched somewhat and stared at the open space in front of them. After what felt like an eternity Hugo said the foremost random thought that came to mind.

"My very first memory of you was with a paper airplane," he began, giving his father a glance, "It's hazy, and I'm not even sure if it happened, but I was little, I think you had me in your arms and this paper airplane whizzed around us over and over again.

"I also remember you and me at St. Mungo's. I fell off a broom and broke my arm. Mum had left to find the Healer and you waited in the room with me. I was so scared but you told me not to worry, that all broken bones heal, that you had many broken ones that did. Then I wasn't so scared anymore.

"There were other memories, with Rosie, Lily, Al and James in them. All of them good ones, happy ones. And growing up and hearing all these fascinating stories about you. I had no doubt all of them were true and I remember thinking you were so cool. For a time I wanted to be just like you. I mean, I love my Dad and all but I did wonder sometimes what it would be like to be Al or James. There were times when I wished I was your son.

"And then we moved and I lost everybody. I missed Rosie and Lily, and even Al and James. I missed my `cool' Uncle Harry. For the longest time I could not understand why we couldn't stay and why Mum took just me and not Rosie? What did I do wrong?

Hugo had to stop. He closed his eyes but that did not keep the tears from falling. He brushed them off hastily; he had to finish.

"When Mum told me who I really was and showed me my true self for the very first time, I was angry. Not at Mum, no, because I could never be mad at her. It was not even at you, that came later, to help me deal with the decision I made," Hugo paused and prepared himself to hear a truth he had never heard himself admit, "I was angry at myself. I got my wish after all; I was your son. A part of me was happy; in way it explained a lot about myself and who I was made more sense.

"But it felt wrong to feel happy. I was about to hurt so many people I cared about because of some childish fantasy. So I've been denying myself that truth ever since. I can't have any part of you because it means taking you away from Lily, Al and James. Not your name, not your magic, not your concern or your love. I convinced myself that I wanted nothing from you. Had it not been for Mum needing your help I would have been perfectly happy living this lie forever.

"So, here I am. I'm about to face certain death and I realize. I can't deny who I am anymore. I am your son. And while I can choose not to take your name or your magic, this stupid part of me still wants to have what James, Al and Lily have."

Hugo broke down. He didn't even know why he felt that way but he just did. And considering his current predicament he did not want to die without letting his father know that he wanted his love.

His father held him tightly as Hugo sobbed, tears in his eyes too.

After some time, he heard his father say softly, "Hugo, you are my son, and for as long as I live you have my love here in this realm and in every realm we are in. I will not stop caring about you."

"And you are not taking anything away from Lily or Al or James. I have enough and I love you all. Do you hear me?"

Hugo nodded, moving away from his father's embrace. The powerful declaration was hard to dismiss as mere words. Or maybe Hugo just wanted to hear them so badly. Either way he felt much better, as if a heavy load had just been lifted from his shoulders.

Although it felt good to tell his father, he realized he did not want to dwell in it. There was no point. After all, it was highly unlikely that Hugo was going to be around long enough to have a more meaningful relationship with his biological father. It was now time to face the music and, maybe, the Head Auror could at least help him with his mindset going in.

He apologized, "Sorry for unloading like that. This thing I'm about to do is making me a bit emotional."

The older Potter understood, "Most people would feel the same."

Hugo asked, "About Malvado. Any advice?"

"For starters, remain calm. You need to be calm to think clearly and to fight a good fight."

"How do you do it? How do you remain and not be afraid?"

"Calm you can do with training and experience. I still have fears, though not as much anymore," the Auror intimated, "It didn't used to be like that. I was scared shitless the very first time Voldemort tried to kill me, and the few times after. But it is possible to remain calm even with fear. Calm you can work on. Fear too, but that takes time."

"What made it go away? The fear."

"Mostly, when I stopped being afraid to die."

"Too many near death experiences?"

The Auror shook his head, "It was more an acceptance that I could die any moment and a belief that the unknown that happens after death is not necessarily a bad thing. It'll be sad to leave behind the people I care about but I accept it as part of life."

Hugo didn't think he could do that, "I'm thirteen. This acceptance thing won't work for me. I don't want to die yet. I feel like I'm such a coward."

"You're not. You're just being honest with yourself. Refusing to die isn't a bad thing; it doesn't make you a coward. I still work hard and try my best not to die. I don't want you to die either. I know this sounds confusing but you can accept the possibility of death and yet refuse to die at the same time."

In a way Hugo understood. He was afraid of Malvado because he was afraid of death and the unknown that comes after. With or without Malvado, death was part of life, something he had no real control over.

"So acceptance of mortality is the secret to conquering fear?"

"Fear of death, yes. But there is the other fear that's more difficult to get rid of. Have been having a lot of trouble with it lately myself."

"What fear is that?"

The older man admitted, "The fear of failure, knowing that so many people you love and care about depend on you not to fail."

The words struck a chord. Hugo definitely feared that he would fail and cause the death of his Mum and all the others he cared about. But Harry Potter?

"You're the Head Auror. You've defeated many dark wizards. How can you fear failure?"

"Don't get me wrong. Saving people from bad wizards is my job and I am good at it because of years of training and experience. I also trust that many have my back. It is this confidence that eliminates much of the fear of failure in my job. But I am also human. One day, given the right conditions, there will be somebody better, stronger and more clever than I am. The fear of failure comes when the stakes are high, when people you love are involved. You don't want them to get hurt or die. Somehow accepting death is not as easy when it comes to them."

Hugo identified with it, "How do you get rid of it?"

"You don't really if you were to be completely honest with yourself. You just hope and pray that the day isn't `that' day. And you still go through with it knowing that not acting is certain failure. In a way you don't have a choice and you just do the best you can."

"But what if your best is not good enough?"

"Hugo, if there is one thing that you can be sure of it is this," his father declared, "To the people who love you, those who really matter, your best is always good enough."

Hugo thought about his current situation and asked himself if he had done everything he could to defeat Malvado. He realized he had not.

"I really need your help then. I don't have a plan. I mean, except for survive and not lose possession of any of the Hallows, and hope the earth swallows Malvado up just because."

The Auror shared, "Funny how similar that is to my plan when the whole Voldermort thing started."

"It has its merits. I mean, it worked many times for you, but it relies too much on luck," Hugo pointed out.

"You're right. You need a better plan, one that involves more than just winging it and relying on luck. Thank goodness you are your mother's son," his father countered, "We have a lot of work to do. You'll learn all the spells and curses you need to know, offensively and defensibly. You'll learn to recognize them and to cast them quickly and wordlessly. You'll learn to use your wand well and be equally effective using either hand."

"Whoa! Hang on," Hugo stood up, having trouble following the conversation, "When I get back I'm getting AK'd and, if I survive that, I will have Malvado right in front of me. I don't have time to learn all this."

There was a glint of excitement in his father's eyes as he answered, "Time is strange here. The last time you were here you came back to the same reality time point you left, seamlessly as if you never did. The way I see it, you have all the time in the world here to learn what you need to before you return."

"That makes sense," Hugo heard words coming from him although they didn't come from his thoughts at all.

What just happened? Didn't he ask his father to come so he could come clean about how he felt because he was going to die? Now he wasn't dying at all, at least not yet, and his father was about to train him so he had a chance of surviving?

Hugo protested, "But…but isn't this cheating?"

His father shrugged, "Malvado is what? A thousand years old? You can't even grow facial hair yet. And he has murderous skills from a dozen or so evil wizards. Your magic, on the other hand, hasn't fully matured. If anything he's the cheat and we're just trying to level the playing field."

Hugo let the words sink in, the insane idea had a rational basis and eventually trumped his sense of fair play. Rational or not, the idea still was loopy. He couldn't take it seriously.

"Right. I agree. Grown wizards challenging boys barely past puberty is so wrong. We need to put a stop to it."

His father was focused, had now abandoned his place on the bench, "First, I need a wand. You're going to show me all the spells and curses that you know, including any special abilities you have. We're going to build on those and use them to your advantage. And then, when you're ready, we're going to get Death to help us find the wizards Malvado took skills from."

"What for?" Hugo had to ask.

"You'll need sparring mates," his father had gone mad, with an afterthought, "Although I'm not sure if they would still have their abilities and we may have trouble convincing Death to give them wands."

Hugo certainly hoped Death had more sense about that than the pacing mad man in front of him. The thought of fighting more dark wizards made Hugo queasy. From the looks of it his father was serious. Didn't that list of evil wizards include Grindewald and Voldemort?

All of a sudden, the enormity of the shift from thinking survival unlikely to thinking survival possible hit him.

"I think I'm going to throw up," he bent over to heave, hands on his knees.

The Auror, deep in plot mode, didn't notice his visceral reaction, "Even so, we'd have to make sure that stipulations are made with Death so that you never lose mastery of the wand in this realm. It will be disastrous if you do."

And this isn't a disaster yet? Hugo took deep breaths in and out.

"I'm going to push you to your limits and then beyond. You are going to hate me many times."

That I can do well. I have experience.

"Maybe even wish you never asked me for help."

"Regretting it already," he uttered loudly involuntarily, then retracted when he got the look, "Am kidding, I think. My head is spinning. One second my death was an almost sure thing and now I may actually live."

"Yes!" his wide-eyed father replied, clutching him firmly by the shoulders, "Isn't that great?!"

Hugo let unfiltered thoughts stumble out of his mouth "But I said all those things to you about how I felt about you."

"Hmm. You did that because you thought you were going to die. You have confessional remorse," came the accurate assessment, "Were they true?"

"Yes!"

"Then I'm glad you told me. Deal with it."

"That's not the point."

"You're rambling, much like how your Mum gets when she realizes she's about to make a weak point," his father was amused now, "Get to it."

"I'm supposed to fight Malvado on my own!"

"Because of the prophecy of some drunken seer?"

"Yes."

"And you probably will fight him on your own since everyone keeps telling me I'm badly injured and won't be able to help," the older Potter seemed okay with that, "Listen, forget about the prophecy for a second. You and I are here in this bizarre realm with all the time in the world. You say you do not want to die. I have skill and experience I can share with you so that it will be less likely that you will. Give me one good reason why you would go back to face this murderer without them when you can go back with them."

Hugo thought, hard. He couldn't think of one. Lingering father trust issues weren't good enough. He didn't count on being his son longer than today, hence his confessional remorse, but maybe time alone with his father was exactly what he needed to resolve them. It was fear of failure of a different kind but as his father just said, not doing it would be certain failure. He didn't want to fail this one.

And yes, with the passing of time, they would miss all the people they love. He might not see his Mum, his Dad, Rosie and the twins, Isa and Spencer for years, if at all. But they were doing this for them and, when they got back, they would not have been gone long enough for them to be missed.

Hugo wondered if his father even considered that.

He quietly pointed it out, "You won't see Lily, Al and James for a while."

"I know," his father nodded, "This is too important. It'll be difficult for us but at least they won't know we've been gone long."

That covered, Hugo had no more qualms about what they were about to do.

"You're right. This makes better sense."

"It's settled then. We're staying. Just one other thing."

"Uh-huh?"

"This is going to take a while and we're going to spend a lot of time together."

"I can live with that." Or ask Death to send you back if it really gets ugly.

"At some point you are going to need to call me by a name."

"Al and James warned me about this conversation." Hugo fessed up, dreading the question for something he had no ready answer for.

"Good. So you know I won't let you refer to me as `Harry' or `Mr. Potter' and I will not respond to "hey you". `Father' makes me feel like I was born in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. That leaves you with either `Dad' or `Dad'. So think about it and pick one."

Hugo paused thoughtfully, smirked as he made a counter suggestion, "`Old man' has a nice ring to it."

In one motion, the older Potter snuck a foot behind his leg and pushed him back. Hugo lost his balance and hit the hard rocky surface with a thud. His backside stinging, he looked up to find his father with a wide grin on his face, and a shot to boot.

"Tell you what, smart mouth, I'll make you a deal. You can call me whatever you want if you can pull that move on me."

His father offered him a hand. He took it and pulled himself up.

"Deal," Hugo answered, although he knew he wasn't going to try, not for a very long time.

XXXXXXXXXX

At Shell Cottage, Lily watched her mother. She was in the living room, seated, eyes transfixed on the Potter timeteller. For a brief time her dad's hand had slipped to "dead". Her mother cried then but refused to believe it true and wouldn't let anyone console her. Somehow, either through sheer collective will or prayer, it moved and with Al's hand now pointed to `mortal danger'.

Lily sat beside her, took her hand, and squeezed it tight. Tears they had been holding back poured out. She knew what her Mum was thinking because she was thinking the same. Please, let them be okay.

Earlier, Lily had overheard. The attack on the Malvado compound was underway. Surely news would come soon.

XXXXXXXXXX

At the London Ministry of Magic, an exhausted Jessie continued testing the various possible antidotes to the Asphyxiatus poison. Twenty other St. Mungo researchers and MOM Unspeakables were brought in to help expedite the process. Even Unspeakable Max had taken up a station to find a cure.

She couldn't bring herself to look at Padma who was overseeing the experiments. Hours ago, they had narrowed the list of possibilities to one of several blood compatible substances that the poison would preferentially bind to instead of blood. But the links remained unstable, the duration of binding too short to allow adequate time for extraction . Progress, since then, had been bleak.

Jessie looked at the clock. Even if Ron found her alive, she didn't think they'd have a cure in time to save Hermione's life.

"I think I have something," Head Unspeakable Max announced, projecting his workstation up so everyone could see.

The set up was simple enough: a blood vessel with a continuous flow of human blood, infuse poison, infuse binding agent. They waited, one minute, two minutes, three…

They gathered around the workstation with shared anticipation.

"Five minutes," Padma announced with relief, "It's stable enough to allow extraction."

"What's the agent?" somebody asked amidst the celebration.

Unspeakable Max held up the vial and read the label, "Preserved blood of a three-eyed crow mixed with hair of direwolf. Has anybody read or heard of such magical creatures?"

Lots of shaking heads and blank expressions in the room. A few started consulting magical creature research literature.

Jessie had heard of such creatures but she wasn't about to tell them they were from a popular Muggle novel. Somebody both smart and stupid had slipped in an un-catalogued substance for testing and the bloody thing worked.

XXXXXXXXXX

Isa read Rosie's message. Hugo's non-clotted blood specimen worked on the poison but there was a problem. She should have known not to trust Spencer with naming the fake source.

"Three eyed crow? Direwolf? You couldn't just pick some obscure, extinct magical creature we learned at class?" Isa glared at Spencer, who as usual thought it was a pretty good idea.

"First of all, nobody pays attention in that class except you," he shrugged, pleased that she was pissed. "And I love Game of Thrones. The…"

"I know, the TV version, not the books," she interrupted him, "We don't want people to turn Hugo into some lab rat."

"I agree."

"Don't you think that if somebody figured out your feeble attempt at cleverness they'd know the specimen was planted, they'd try to find out who planted it and eventually work out who the sample really belongs to?! You're such a genius!"

"I know. Don't mention it."

"Ugh!"

Isa went on her computer, quickly hacked into the International Magical Creatures database to insert "three eyed crow" and "direwolf" into the records. She backdated the entry to when the system went electronic and referred source as a parchment document. No one looked for parchment archives anymore because most researchers knew those were permanently purged. She took a few obscure research papers and substituted topics in case someone did a lit review, posting them in even more obscure journals. She quickly reviewed her entries and hit save.

All that unnecessary work because she trusted the boy wonder.

"Tell me again how you acquired this criminal skill before you came here?" Boy wonder asked.

"I had to help out in the family business."

"Oh," Spencer wasn't really interested, "Does Hugo know yet?"

Isa tried to be calm, "Rosie said Hugo never returned after he dropped off the blood samples."

"He went to face Malvado," an uncharacteristically serious Spencer said what she already thought but didn't want to say out loud, "Why would he lie to us?"

Isa had good guesses, "Because he didn't want us to worry. Or maybe he didn't want us to try to stop him or worse, try to tag along."

"He has never lied to us before. It must be the prophecy. It was something he had to do on his own," then Spencer shrugged, worry resolved, making attempt to reassure her, "Don't worry. His father is with him. I'm sure he'll be fine. Can't wait to hear how he kicked Malvado's ass."

For the first time since they met Isa wished she thought bit more like Spencer. That feeling lasted all of three seconds.

"You are such an ass!" she muttered then stormed off.

XXXXXXXXXX

Somewhere in Great Britain, the Keeper had just received word that Hermione Granger was alive, poison antidote in the works. The band of Malvado followers had broken up into smaller leaderless factions. The Aurors had assessed the situation as stable enough to involve the South Asian International Muggle Police and troops were expected to arrive shortly.

No word on the Hallows, Harry Potter or his two sons.

XXXXXXXXXX

The broom sped up the mountain apex as fast as it could take two riders. Close to the peak, Al saw an unmoving figure of a man who looked very much like his father.

He tapped Aunt Hermione on the shoulder and motioned her over to where his dad was. She dismounted right beside his body. Uncle Ron landed not far behind them.

One of his arms didn't look right and there was a lot of blood. Hugo did mention their father was severely injured but still, seeing him broken like this, was unnerving. As they knelt beside his dad's body both Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron had the same worried expression he wore. Somebody, say something.

"He's not dead," Al declared, determined to say it, as if to make it so if he was.

Aunt Hermione had just put a wand over him and confirmed, relieved, "He isn't. But he has lost a lot of blood. He needs a Healer."

Uncle Ron took out a pen, offered it to Aunt Hermione. Al recognized a Granger-Weasley argument in the making.

"Portkey. Takes three straight to St. Mungo's Emergency Room. You and Hugo should take him."

"No!" Aunt Hermione refused.

"You need care too!"

"What I need is to be with my son!"

Uncle Ron looked at Al, confused.

"Not me," Al quickly clarified, "The real Hugo."

"Al?"

He nodded and explained, "Polyjuice."

"Then Hugo is at the Ministry."

Aunt Hermione looked to Al to answer.

Al obliged, "No, Hugo is up there with Malvado and you really should..."

"How do you know this?"

"The book, her Hallows book, took Hugo, James and me to Death in some strange place. Hugo told us where he was. You really should go look for him," Al finished his earlier statement. Now, how to make this sound very urgent, "He needed help…many minutes ago."

Uncle Ron was more confused, "I don't understand."

"We don't have time. I'll go find Hugo," Aunt Hermione finally got it, "You and Al can take Harry. Al will explain everything to you."

His uncle protested and threatened, "I won't allow it and I will hex you if I have to. Don't make me."

This can't be happening. Al had to stop them.

"No," a feeble voice called out, his father, beating him to it, "Let her go. Hugo will want to see her."

"Harry," Aunt Hermione moved back beside him, holding his better hand, "Don't talk."

"Come closer."

She leaned in as he asked.

He said something to her that Al couldn't hear but whatever it was, it brought tears to her eyes. She nodded as if to say `yes' and pulled away.

Aunt Hermione said to them as she brushed her tears away, "Please take him to St. Mungo's."

His dad had more to say, "Ron can stay with you. Al and I can go. Al, tell them about the wands."

Right. Al almost forgot. High points.

"Hugo is the Master of Death. He has all three Peverell Hallows, including the Snitch-free Resurrection Stone. We tried to return them to Death in that strange place I mentioned to render Malvado's stone powerless but we found out that Malvado has another Death issued wand, the Wand of Wands. It's more powerful than the Elder Wand when used by a confident wizard. So we convinced Hugo to keep all three and come back here as Master of Death. Not sure if this matters but Malvado does not know what he has. And I hope I'm wrong but I think Hugo's been up there with Malvado all by himself since I came back from our visit with Death, and that was at least 5, maybe 10 minutes ago. So go…now…please."

There was a loud rumble followed by a fiery explosion at the crater.

Thankfully they didn't need to be told twice. Uncle Ron handed him the Portkey and sped away just behind Aunt Hermione. Still kneeling beside his dad, he heard his father speak.

"Need to teach you how to tell people what to do," he uttered weakly, the amusement in his tone made Al smile. Then, he added, "It's been a long, long time. It's good to see you, Al."

Al heard that severe injuries could cause confusion. He had to take him to St. Mungo's right away. He looked up at the peak one last time thinking about Hugo.

His father must have sensed his worry for he had words of comfort which Al found just as curious.

"Don't worry about your brother. He'll be just fine."

Al pressed the pen button. Their surroundings blurred away. Soon, they were in one of the examination rooms at St. Mungo's. A team of Healers descended upon them even before he could ask for help.

As the Healers took his dad away a question popped up in his mind. How did his father know about the wands?

XXXXXXXXXX

Moments earlier, in another realm…

It was time.

Hugo was sure of it. It had been two years since he and his father decided to stay and it was time to go back.

He had been walking all night thinking of good reasons to stay. He couldn't find one. His desire to continue to spend time with his father and have the older man to himself wasn't good enough.

And there were so many reasons to leave. He missed everyone in his life. Judging from his frequent portal visitations he was certain his father did too. And most of all he missed the normalcy of being a teenager.

He got back to their camp and found his father going over his latest training results.

"You did excellent today," the older Potter complimented.

"Yeah, I did."

His father was always generous with compliments, even when he didn't do so well. He continued to pour over his training history. He did this, looking for gaps so they would know what to work on next. There had been no gaps for a while.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm ready to go back."

His father looked over the parchments, regarded him quietly for a moment and responded, "I agree. You're more than ready."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence but I wish you wouldn't overdo it, old man."

His mentor chuckled, "You're right. You do suffer from annoying bouts of arrogance."

"Let me guess, I get that from Mum?"

"You said it."

"Speaking of Mum," Hugo treaded carefully, confronting him of a growing concern, "I saw Rasputin the other day. I know you've been spending time trolling portals watching her past."

Hugo discovered that in the last few weeks, when he no longer needed as much coaching, his father found a destructive hobby to pass his time.

"I'm going to strangle that little Russian next time I see him," his father tried to divert focus on someone else, "He should really learn to keep his mouth shut."

"Not his fault. Seriously, I'm worried about you. Watching what she went through is eating you up. I can see it."

"You know how your Mum gets about her past," his father tried to defend his actions, "I figured that if I saw she wouldn't have to tell me and I'd understand her better without having to ask."

"But Dad, shouldn't we trust that she has good reason why she's not sharing her past with us?"

"Yes, but I wish things were as simple as that between me and your Mum."

"Precisely. Things have never been simple between you two since she made that deal with Death, and doing this isn't going to fix it," Hugo knew this because he knew his mother well, "She won't like this if she finds out. You have this amazing one of a kind relationship. There's a way to make it right. This isn't it."

Even before he said that his father knew he was right.

"I'm sorry. This place gets to you, you know," his father admitted, "It's so tempting to stay to see where you went wrong and fix things."

"I know. But this isn't really real."

"You definitely have to go back," his father teased, "I'm starting not to like you."

"I'm not leaving you here on your own," Hugo decided, not trusting his Dad's current fragile state, "I'm staying until you're ready. Are you?"

In two years he had gotten to know the man who was his father. The older Potter paced, this decision a hard one for him to make. Letting go of this realm was more difficult for him than for Hugo.

Hugo patiently waited, he wanted an answer. And finally his father stopped pacing and faced him.

"Not quite," came his response.

Hugo was disappointed but he respected the choice. He'd try again at some point when the time was right. He looked away to hide his reaction when his father unexpectedly tapped him on the shoulder.

The Auror reached out to Hugo with both arms and invited, "Come over here."

He hugged him, tight.

"My son," the older man spoke, "You're right. It's time for us to go back. I know in my heart you can do this. I've known since the beginning. But if things don't go our way, I know you gave it your all. I'm proud of you and I love you, Hugo."

After spending all this time with his father he truly believed the words now.

"I love you too, Dad."

"Now I'm ready. Let's go home."

Home. Hugo liked the sound of that.

On cue an inter-realm portal opened up for his father. Death, probably eager to be rid of them, must have been eavesdropping. The older Potter stepped away from their embrace and into the cone of light.

He spoke, "I'll see you when you get back."

Hugo nodded, wishing he could promise that he would. Before the portal could take his father there was something Hugo had been meaning to tell him.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you did this with me," Hugo said candidly, "I didn't want to be alone."

"I'm glad I got to hang out with you. I had a great time."

Then his father was gone. Hugo hoped to see him soon. It was his turn.

"Death?"

It appeared.

"Yes, Master."

"Am heading back. Thank you for everything. You were a big help."

"It was my duty to serve."

"I know. Kind of felt bad for you, my Dad pushed for a lot. I was surprised that there is an almost infinite number of things that can be considered as `assisting Master's long term survival'."

"Your father drove a very hard bargain and he keeps eluding me. I am certain we will meet again someday."

"I am certain you will," he concurred, hoping this won't happen for a very long time.

Hugo had a very strange relationship with Death, one he still did not fully understand and probably never would. If things were to go as planned this would be their last encounter as Master and Slave. In a way he was going to miss Death.

"Are you going to need a portal, Master?"

"Yes, I will but give me a minute or so."

Dismissed, Death disappeared. Alone now, Hugo closed his eyes and focused, an exercise he did every day he trained. He visualized what he would face immediately upon his return to his former reality.

He felt no fear of Malvado. Physically and mentally he was prepared to fight. He owed his father that.

He also stopped fearing death and all the uncertainty surrounding it. Living here with all these dead witches and wizards took the mystery away. Even without his immortality as Master of Death, Hugo came to understand what his father meant about accepting what is certain and what you have no control over.

Fear of failure, his nemesis. He still had nightmares about a world where Malvado kills him, his Mum, both his fathers and all his siblings. He figured the only way for the nightmares to end was to go back, face the fear and do his best to not make the nightmare a reality.

That was a very good reason to go back. That and normalcy. He wanted to have a normal life and it all seemed possible now.

He asked his father once, How did you find the courage to fight someone more powerful than you were.

His father replied, Believe that you have something greater than yourself worth fighting for.

Hugo heard the familiar hum of the inter-realm portal and opened his eyes. He was as ready as he could ever be. Securing the Elder Wand, he did the same with the Stone and the Invisibility Cloak, and took a firm step into the cone of light.

XXXXXXXXXX

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